Car-coupling



(No Model.)

A. OOLVIN.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 480,729. Patented June 24, 1890.

54411 om/Ooz wi/wmooeo UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED COLVIN, OF CARROLLTO'N, MISSISSIPPI.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 430,729, dated June 24,1890. Application filed April 18, 1890- Serial No. 348,576. (NomodeL) Toall whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED COLVIN, of Carrollton, in the county ofCarroll, State of Mississippi, have invented anew and useful Improvementin Oar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to an improvement in car-couplings; and it consistsin the peculiar construction and combination of devices that .will bemore fully set forth hereinafter, and

particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pair ofdraw-heads provided with my improved coupling devices. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectional view of one of my improved draw-heads. Fig. 3 isa perspective view of the same.

The draw-heads A are adapted to come in contact with each other when thecars come together, and are of suitable size and strength and shouldpreferably be provided with the usual buffer-springs (not shown) todeaden the shock of the concussion and to yield when the train starts.Under the outer ends of the draw-heads are hoods B, each of the saidhoods being made of a single piece of plate metal, as follows: At theinner end of the inclined bottom 0 of the hood is formed a projectingportion D of reduced width, which is first bent up at right angles toreach the bottom of the draw-head and thereby form the inner end E ofthe hood, and is then bent outward at right angles and extended underthe lower side of the draw-head and secured to the latter at suitablepoints along its length by bolts F, which pass through the draw-head.The inclined bottom 0 gradually widens to its outer end, and the sides Gof the hood are inclined inward toward each other and converge till theyreach the sides of the draw-head and are then extended vertically, bearagainst the sides of the draw-head, and are secured thereto bycross-bolts H, which pass transversely through the draw-head, as shown.Arranged between the sides of each hood near the inner end thereof is adetent-j aw I, which is pivoted on a bolt K, that passes transverselythrough the sides of the hood at a suitable distance from the bottomthereof. The said detentjaws extend rearward toward the inner ends ofthe hoods, and are of suflicient width to play freely at their free endsin a vertical direction between the contracted sides of the hood, asshown. To one or to both of the bolts "K (as may be found'desirable) ispivoted a lever L, arranged on one side of the hood and extendingparallel with the drawhead. The inner end of the said lever is bent atright angles and extends transversely across the contracted portion ofthe bottom of the hood in rear of the sides, and is connected by eye orloop M to the detent-jaw, near the free end of the latter. Thereby thesaid jaw may be raised by operating the lever, as will be readilyunderstood and for the purpose to be hereinafter stated.

The link N, used in coupling the cars, is flatand of suitable width andthickness, and has shoulders 0, arranged transversely of the upper sidesof its ends. The said link is first attached to the draw-head of one carby inserting one end into the hood and causing its shoulder to beengaged by the detent-jaw,,as will be readily understood, and when thecars come together the free end of the link will enter the hood of theopposing draw-head and be guided by the inclined bottom and sidesthereof under and past the detent-j aw, which will immediately by itsown gravity engage the shoulder at the end of the link and therebyautomatically couple the cars together. Hence life and limb need not beexposed to accident by going between the cars to couple them, as is nowthe common practice.

In order to uncouple the cars it is only necessary to operate the leverand cause the detent-j aw attached thereto to release one end of thelink, when the cars may be drawn apart. I propose to provide a chain P,extending from the top of the car and attached to the 5 lever, so thatthe latter may be operated by a person stationed on the top of the car.This chain passes around a guide-sheave R on one side of the draw-head,as shown.

A car-coupling thus constructed is exceedingly cheap and simple, will befound entirely efficient, and is adapted to automatically couple cars assoon as they are run together.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In a car-coupling, thedraw-heads having the hoods with the inclined bottoms, the extensions atthe inner ends forming the inner ends of the hoods and bearing under andsecured to the bottom of the draw-heads, the inclined sides bolted tothe sides of the drawheads, the detent-jaws pivoted between the sides ofthe hoods, the levers (one or more) on the pivots of the jaws andconnected to the latter to disengage them, and the link having its endsadapted to enter the hoods and provided with the shoulders to be engagedby the detent-jaws, substantially as described.

2. The draw-head having the hood on its lower side, said hood comprisingth'einclined bottom 0, the extension D of reduced width at the inner endof the hood bent up at right angles to form the inner end E of the hoodend to engage the jaw, all substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I append my signature. v

'- ALFRED COLVI-N.

Witnesses:

J. H. AMBROSE, AYRES HART.

